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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26935990">there is very little left of us and it's never coming back</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZorDawn/pseuds/ZorDawn'>ZorDawn</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bisexual Tony Stark, Cats, Established Relationship, F/F, Female Tony Stark, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Late Night Conversations, Lesbian Pepper Potts, Rain, They're just gals being pals, Winter Soldier Trial, Women Being Awesome, civil war team shut the fuck up, like a lot of rain, overall soft wlw moments, overdue ones, people actually talking to eachother</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:22:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,024</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26935990</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZorDawn/pseuds/ZorDawn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Some things just have to end, and that isn't always a bad thing. Ending a friendship doesn't make you a bad person, and it doesn't always imply the other person involved is bad either. And sometimes, these things need to be said outright.</p><p>Tonya didn't dislike Steve, but she couldn't trust him. And that needed to be resolved first. And not with a return to the status quo.</p><p>Everything that came after that - well, it was definitely a bonus.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers (background), Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers &amp; Tony Stark, Tony Stark &amp; James "Rhodey" Rhodes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>there is very little left of us and it's never coming back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So yeah. I wanted some soft wlw vibes and some mature conversations in the MCU, but since they seem set on not giving us that, I decided to just write it myself. I would say which friend helped me with this but I don't want to be associated with the abomination joke fics on her account. Also, yes I know the title is a TikTok sound and no I do not care &lt;3.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tonya's workshop was never really quiet. In a home with a mind of its own it was difficult to find a perfectly quiet place, but Tonya liked it that way. The soft buzzing of machines and the sounds of the bots moving around kept her grounded enough. She hadn't really left the workshop in hours, dreading the spiraling thoughts that would inevitably come when she tried to sleep.</p><p>A familiar click of stiletto heels on the hard metal floor interrupted her thoughts.</p><p>"Pepper! What are you doing home already? Aren't you supposed to be on that business trip to Kyoto until Friday?" Tonya said. She hoped she hadn't mixed up her days again. </p><p>Pepper smiled a little. "Tonya, it is Friday. How long have you been down here?" So that answers that question. At least Pepper didn't sound mad, just a bit worried.</p><p>"Well, if it's Friday, then it's been about three days. I'm still not convinced about that, though. Are you sure it's Friday? It can't be. Tuesday was yesterday, I swear."</p><p>"What is it this time?" Pepper asked. Straight to the point, as always. Tonya loved her all the more for it.</p><p>That didn't mean she actually wanted to talk about what was bothering her, though.</p><p>"What makes you think there's an 'it', Pep?"</p><p>"Oh come on, Tonya. We agreed there'd be none of this between us. You can be open with me."</p><p>Which was true, of course, but it didn't mean Tonya had to like it. She sighed.</p><p>"Barnes' trial is happening soon," Tonya said.</p><p>"Oh, Tonya", Pepper said with a concerned look. </p><p>"They've asked me to testify."</p><p>"Will you?"</p><p>A pause.</p><p>"I… don't know." Tonya finally said.</p><p>And to be quite honest, she didn't know. Logically, she knew it wasn't Barnes' fault, but she just couldn't reconcile that fact with the face of the man who killed her parents.</p><p>"I just can't process any of this, Pepper," she admitted.</p><p>"Look, you and I know that, and I think Barnes himself does too, but the effect your testimony could have on the trial is huge," Pepper said, "That's not to say you have to do it if it's too upsetting, but I can't see you not doing something to help when you can".</p><p>"You're right. Of course you are, you're always right. I guess I'm just still so in shock and… mad about everything".</p><p>"Is the anger necessarily directed at Barnes, though? Or is it more to do with Steve not telling you about the whole thing?"</p><p>And that really was the heart of the issue, wasn't it? Steve had <i>known</i> about her parents, about them being <i>murdered</i>, by his boyfriend of all people, and hadn't told her. He let her believe a lie for so long. Could she really trust a man who hides something like that?</p><p>"I guess it really is about Steve, isn't it?" </p><p>"Tonya, you have to let it go," Pepper responded.</p><p>"What?" </p><p>Oh God, not this. Tonya didn't think she could take yet another person telling her to forgive Steve, to just forget about everything. And to hear it coming from her girlfriend-</p><p>"You have to let the friendship go. I don't think you should trust him again." Pepper said.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"You heard me the first time, Tonya. I know you have a hard time ending friendships, but I really do think this one is done for."</p><p>"I…" Tonya started.</p><p>She paused. When had they moved to the couch? She hadn't even noticed, and now she was sitting down, leaning on Pepper, whose arm was wrapped around her shoulder. </p><p>She loved these little moments. She loved how Pepper always seemed to know what she was doing, she loved being caught off guard with sudden moments of calm and clarity. She hadn't really had one of those in a while, being too caught up in working and making things for the other Avengers and- </p><p>Oh.</p><p>Pepper had a point. </p><p>"...yeah. Yeah, that's… probably true."</p><p>It felt good to say it out loud for once. To really let the feelings set in. This wasn't working, and it hadn't for a while.</p><p>"How should I even bring it up? How do you end a friendship that's lasted for years without looking like an asshole?" </p><p>"I think you should just be straightforward." Pepper said.</p><p>Well that was helpful. She'd figure it out later, though. There was time to reflect on everything properly now. </p><p>They sat in silence for a bit, uninterrupted.</p><p>"I think I'm going to testify, then. Or at least I’ll try." Tonya said.</p><p>"If you do, I'll be there with you."</p><p>"I know you will."</p><p>And she did. That was the thing about Pepper - she was a constant in her life. Reliable when pretty much everyone else wasn't. Sometimes she was all that grounded her, held her together by sheer force of will when she was about to fall apart. Even though she might look delicate, Pepper was the only stable person in her life. </p><p>She had really missed that stability recently.</p><p>Everything was quiet now, and even through the thick metal plated walls of the workshop Tonya could hear the strong wind outside. It was calming, in a way, made her drift off a bit. </p><p>God, she was tired. She only really realized it now, after everything was at least partially said and settled. The comfortable couch and the soft and gentle touch of Pepper's hands only solidified it, but for the first time in years the feeling wasn't one of harsh and overbearing exhaustion. She just… really wanted to go to sleep, which was strange. She wanted to lie in bed and listen to the rain and wind outside. She wanted to drift off and wake up in the morning when everything would feel more manageable.</p><p>"Hey, Pepper? Let's go to bed."</p><p>She half-expected Pepper to laugh and comment on her sleep schedule, but she just smiled and said:</p><p>"Sure."</p><p>And if they both woke up late the next morning, and if Pepper was late to a meeting, it didn't matter, because for once Tonya woke up and actually felt rested and prepared to keep going.</p>
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